1. Field
The present invention relates generally to wave pools or water attractions. More particularly, the present invention relates to wave pools having centrally located wave generating devices for creation of surfing wakes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wave pools have become a popular form of entertainment for patrons of waterparks and other entertainment venues. When a standard pool is outfit with motors, pumps, or other wave-generating equipment, the normally static pool water can be altered into an exciting and dynamic environment for both swimmers and tubers alike. In addition, bystanders relaxing outside of the pool are treated to a more interesting environment for viewing when swimmers and tubers are negotiating the waves.
Surfing machines have also proven a popular attraction, both for entertainment and for training purposes to help instruct individuals that may be wary or otherwise unable to surf out in the ocean. Conventional surf machines utilize water pumps cooperating with nozzles or jets to flow water over a variety of surfaces, allowing riders to skim atop the water flow. Still other surf devices operate in much deeper bodies of water, such as wave pools, essentially mimicking the effects and feeling of surfing in the deep ocean water. Unfortunately, the cost to design and manufacture such deep water wave pools with adequate waves for surfing has proven to be costly, limiting their install base. Moreover, the size of the water pumps or other wave generating components are typically very large and expensive to repair and maintain, in addition to the cost stemming from their high energy and power consumption.
The waves generated commonly initiate at one end of the pool or body of water and travel towards the opposite end. Such a configuration leads to a waste of many ride-able waves since riders may be required to paddle or navigate through oncoming waves, much like in an ocean setting, before arriving at the wave origination location to ride one of the waves towards shore. In response, certain configurations have been proposed for wave pools wherein wave-generating devices, such as hulls, paddles or pneumatic equipment, are positioned and/or move along an exterior circumference or perimeter of a pool and direct waves towards or around a shallow or protruding shore located in the center of the pool. In these designs, the pool is deepest around its circumference and shallowest at its center.
Unfortunately, such designs are not ideal for a variety of reasons. Firstly, positioning the wave-generating devices and the deepest water around the perimeter of the wave pool makes entering or leaving the pool more difficult, for example, requiring the use of bridges or tunnels to bring potential wave riders to the shallow center. Secondly, a traveling displacement hull around the deep water, outer circumference of the pool to generate waves also imparts movement to the entire pool, causing the water to also rotate in harmony with the hull and reduce its effectiveness. Thirdly, pools built with deep-water outer perimeters fail to provide the desired visibility for spectators or other bystanders who do not wish to ride the waves in the pool, instead opting to remain adjacent to the pool but still watch the activity within. This is particularly apparent for parents who desire to keep an eye on the safety of their children, but may not want to enter the shallow portion in the center of the pool itself. Indeed, the shallow portion may not be large enough to accommodate the vast quantity of potential bystanders that typically sunbathe adjacent to wave pools at many water park venues. Lastly, the exterior-positioned wave generation devices are complex in nature, inherently requiring a large quantity of cooperating components and adding greatly to the cost and space required to install such a wave pool.
Thus, an improved wave pool design capable of generating the desired surf waves but without the above-mentioned drawbacks is desired. Ideally, the wave pool would allow for easy access to the pool, accommodate various pool sizes and shapes, provide improved visibility for bystanders, and allow for customizable generation of variety of wave shapes or types. In addition, the ideal design would be relatively inexpensive to manufacture and install and permit large amounts of users to ride or participate with the waves in the pool simultaneously.